“He ’s Going To Have A Breakout Year”

Let’s hope so.

I’m not sure what can be said about Tony Allen that hasnt’ been said.  He’s getting $5 mil. over 2 years… and he’s either going to be a steal or a bona fide bust by the time the contract is over.  I don’t see any real middle ground, because we’ve all seen his potential.  At his best, he’s a defensive menace who can score in bunches who will make us quickly forget about James Posey.  That’s what Doc and Danny seem to be expecting.

“We just think he is healthy now,” said Ainge, who sounded relieved to be through with the bargaining process. “We (knew) there would be a transition last year when he came into training camp with a leg brace and wasn’t 100 percent healthy or mentally confident in his leg.

“By the end of last season we thought he had turned the corner and Doc (Rivers) and I both think he’s going to have a breakout year this year.”

If we don’t see that… aren’t we all going to be disappointed?  Tony, for his part, seems to understand what he needs to do.

“There are going to be a lot of opportunities to play and I want to play,” Allen said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m fortunate to have a contract with the Celtics and I want to take advantage of it.

“I learned a lot from [Posey]. Game preparation, how you sit down and scout a player during practice, how you defend a player during practice. I just learned a lot from him and hope I can carry on. I look at my strengths and I just want to do what the coach wants. I’m willing to do that, to give my talent to the organization.”

More on Tony from the always on-point Scott Souza.

I’m beyond fascinated at how the Josh Childress/Brandon Jennings situation will affect the NBA.  I took a slightly negative slant recently… TrueHoop says its a good thing.  I think it might be a little of both.